I'm looking to upgrade the stock 15" wheels on my '86 300E to 16" or 17".

I'd be perfectly happy with 16" & 205-55 tires but it seems there are more wheel choices in 17" - and they don't cost much more. If I go with 17" tires will be 215-45 front & rear.

My plan is to stick with the stock suspension, except for Sportline swaybars, which haven't yet been installed. Tires will likely be Conti ExtremeContact.

How much of a loss in ride comfort can I expect with 17" versus 16" wheels?

My objective is a noticeable improvement in handling without too much of a sacrifice in ride comfort at the lowest reasonable cost.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Gary

well gary, i went thru the same questions for my W202.

yes, you are correct: a greater choice of 17", both in wheels and tires.

i went with 16" as i was more interested in ride quality than apperance. that said, im sure there are many people than have gone 17" and are perfectly happy as well.

i felt that if i were to err, i would prefer to err to comfort over visual.

i stuck with my search and eventually bought new 16" aftermarket alloys in the "sport" pattern off ebay for $400, and spent $550 for bridestone turanzas and an alignment.

FYI- i have bought 2 sets of wheel/tire packages from tirerack in the past, and both times i could not obtain local pricing to compete with TR even after adding shipping. both sets arrived mounted/balanced in perfect condition ready to bolt on. TR offers several 16 wheels that i could not find anywhere else. specifically, they off a 16" 8-slot that would fit your application that is very reasonably priced, between $400-500 for a set of 4.